Loads of Newcastle United fans have been reacting on social media after BT Sport pundit Robbie Savage criticised the St. James’ Park faithful for their chants aimed in his direction during our FA Cup Third Round draw with Rochdale.
Savage was serving as the co-commentator for BT Sport at Spotland during the Third Round encounter, and was subjected to a plethora of chants that were heard live on air through the broadcaster’s pitchside microphones.
Some of the chants sung by supporters included lines such as “Robbie Savage is a w*****” and that he is afraid of our iconic centre-forward Alan Shearer, leading to BT Sport offering a live on-air apology.
The commentary gantry at Spotland is located among the away section of the ground, leaving Savage in a prime location to be spotted by the travelling Toon faithful.
Their comments have sparked outrage from the former Manchester United midfielder, who addressed the chants while on BBC Radio 5 Live’s 606 programme.
“I was trending on Twitter for the obscenities that the Newcastle fans were singing about me, which I took in good faith and I was smiling about,” Savage said, via quotes by the Chronicle. “But put yourself in that situation. If I was a Newcastle fan, I’d be embarrassed to sing the obscenity at a commentator when he’s doing his job.
Is Savage fair in his response to the chants?
Yes
No
“You imagine in your workplace, you’ve got X amount of people turning around, pointing camera phones in your face and waiting for you to respond and you’re trying to do your job. I thought they were a disgrace, the Newcastle fans.
“If I supported a team who went away, got battered by Rochdale in the second [half], and instead of putting your frustration into a co-commentator… Look, at the end of the day, I was laughing. I had to laugh. But at the end of the game, players were coming over to applaud the fans, a lot of Newcastle fans in the front row were giving gestures to their players to go away when all they were doing was coming over to acknowledge them.”
Here are some of the messages shared as fans reacted to Savage’s response to the chants sung at Spotland on Saturday…
That will be why he was obsessed with saying they should have won!
— steven bell (@steviebe) January 6, 2020
He’s a disgrace for his comments over the last few years, if he gives it out, he should also be able to take it which is evident that he can’t
— Chris Cossey (@Cosseycj) January 6, 2020
Savage is more Bee Gee than radio troll these days.
— ⚕ ᑕᕼᖇIS ⚕ (@kicka11) January 6, 2020
Come and shout at me while I do my job as long as we can swap pay packets, Robbie.
— Mal Theakstone (@mal_theakstone) January 6, 2020
Man who goes on TV and radio offering opinions on #nufc fans doesn’t like nufc fans offering an opinion on tv and radio.
— steve h (@matchfacts) January 6, 2020
Don’t see Shearer crying to BBC when he gets abused every time at Old Trafford?
— Paul Daglish (@daglish_paul) January 6, 2020
Well he had to listen to 2 minutes of abuse we had 90 minutes plus listening to him 🤐🤐
— megnufc1 (@PaulPaulnufc1) January 6, 2020
He says he took it in good faith and laughed it off then proceeds to call the fans a disgrace…
— Damien Coughlan (@dynamodamo) January 6, 2020
He should be proud that we still remember him as an annoyance on the pitch.
— HEPING 和平 (@1CHN1SYS_Peace) January 6, 2020
In other Newcastle United news, Steve Bruce hopes to land a £30.9million striker on loan in the January window.